No more U.S. Military ...it looks like the French and Germans will protect us from now on.
Kansas.com | 03/01/2008 | Boeing tanker loss leads to anger, disbelief
Some of you may not be aware that the Air Force awarded a lucrative contract to Northrup Grumman / European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS, parent company to Airbus) last week, but in my world, this is big news and a lot of people are simply livid about it.
I've done a lot of research on the matter. There are points to each side, some good, some bad, and I could probably debate both perspectives equally ...but, no matter how this pie gets sliced, I keep coming back to the fact that our Air Force just awarded the building of military equipment to a FOREIGN ENTITY.
It is possible that The Boeing Co. lost fair and square to the superior characteristics of the A330-based tanker -on paper- and Alabama is supposed to benefit from *some* of the assembly work, but the fact of the matter is, EADS is a foreign company (...they don't even have a U.S. presence yet -which I'm convinced is the entire purpose of their 'partnership' with Northrup Grumman), the majority of the work and money -paid with our taxes- will break land speed records heading across the pond with very little benefit to the U.S. or the American people.
I'm certainly not arguing that Boeing should have won no matter what ...but, pretty stupid move on the part of the Air Force when the country is facing a major recession. What ever happened to "taking care of our own"? Where's the loyalty, Air Force?!?
And so, in 2013, you will finally get to see it all ...an airplane proudly displaying an American flag, flown by American pilots, and built by the French ...or, I hope it's still the American flag by then. It could very well be the MexicanGermanFrenchAmerican flag.
I hope I die before then.